Some time back I found myself discussing the fate of the Euro and the European Union with folks from academia-land. I was, and remain, rather confident that what is apparently an ill-conceived political shotgun polygamy will not survive another five years in any significant manner, at least not without some kind of military intervention. Multiple cultures with their own economies and their own sovereign debt… And Goldman Sachs lending a helping hand to fund it all. What could go wrong?

Anyway, academia argued the following point: Only by binding the nations of Europe and “controlling” them with a single currency could humanity be spared another World War.

Which at first sounds reasonable… until we look at what multinational central financial planning has wrought. Austerity, violent unrest, and talk of civilwar. I suppose convincing what remains of each nation state to commit suicide would prevent a “world” war, sure.

In my opinion, war — any war — is best prevented, not via centralized control, but organically through trends that have been evolving naturally: Increased travel and improved communication. Increasing freedom and understanding. It’s difficult to hate your neighbors, murderously, when you understand them, even dine with them. And since the second World War, technology has enabled a global renaissance in communication, travel, and as I see it, a trend towards a world of disparate yet harmonious cultures.

So how else would we prevent war? Allow cultures to communicate. Give them the freedom to self-actualize. And stop with the centralized meddling.